The twenty-first edition of Proposte – the World Preview of Furnishing Fabrics and Curtains promoted by Ascontex Promozioni and Consorzio Promozione Tendaggio Italiano – recorded a good success despite the ongoing crisis in the region.
Villa Erba opened its doors to 6151 visitors- made up of 2303 Italians and 3848 foreigners – understandably down by 3.33% on last year’s figure. The percentage of foreigners proved high, at almost 62.55%, thus confirming Proposte’s international nature.
Focusing entirely on fostering business and international contacts, Proposte is an only-European show to feature the upcoming trends in fabrics, curtains and trimmings. Held every year in Como, at the spectacular view of Como’s lakeside, Proposte hosts only European manufacturers of furnishing fabrics, curtains and trimmings as exhibitors. These European exhibitors must share at least three characteristics: the qualification of their companies and products, professional correctness, commitment to research and development in creativity and technologies.
Over the three days of the last edition, 21th edition of Proposte, an in-house style team looked at the exhibitors’ collections and, for each, photographed, examined and described the products deemed to best represent the new collections, the most innovative products in terms of structure, design and color.
The next edition of Proposte in Como, Cernobbio will be held on Wednesday-Thursday-Friday 7-8-9 May, 2014.
TREND SYNTHESIS
1- STYLE SPIRITS
2- FIBER EXPLOITS
3- TEXTURES & WEAVES
4- PATTERNS & DESIGNS
STYLE SPIRITS
1- Vintage, 2- Concrete, 3- Folk, 4- Lavish
VINTAGE. Ageing textures and lived-in fabric appeal enrich curtain and upholstery textiles. Trending weatherworn surfaces are achieved via intricate weaving techniques and unique yarn mismatch, fusing innovative textile engineering with heritage skills and expertise.
CONCRETE, one of today’s most contemporary material choice for interior decoration, calls for home textiles reflecting that peculiar, naturally rough and raw style. Curtains and furnishing fabrics decline in unexpectedly warm and modern grey nuances.
FOLK. The tribal and ethnic trend of previous seasons evolves with a contemporary folk twist. Traditional weave techniques and distinct patterns renew with stylized design. Unexpected saturated or washed nuances and mismatched motifs breeze novelty.
LAVISH. The classic and luxury segments surprise with lavish elegance. Cutting-edged upholstery jacquards reveal top of the range materials. Opulence is rivisted through a lens of unique sophistication and subtle refinement, where matt-glitter
interactions add surface interest.
PROPOSTE FIBER EXPLOITS
1- Vegetable Fibers, 2- Innovative Blends, 3- Animal Fibers
VEGETABLE FIBERS. Linen makes part of major fabric compositions and is highlighted for excellent insulating and acoustic properties in curtains. Cellulosicbased fibers (cotton, Modal, viscose) keep up trending and are market-right for variegated price categories.
INNOVATIVE BLENDS. Mills insatiably update their state-of-the-art weaving technologies and textile engineering to create trend-setting, hybrid fabrics in complex blends where natural amalgamates with man-made, achieving performance, comfort and posh appeal.
ANIMAL FIBERS. Staples remain wool and silk compositions for quality fabrics. Increasing is the exploration of worsted wool versatility and mohair for prime velvets and residential fabrics with sartorial look, while silk keeps being en-vogue for high-end upholstery jacquards.
PROPOSTE TEXTURE WEAVES
1- Canvas and Baskets, 2- Novel Jacquard, 3- Dimensional Weaves
CANVAS & BASKETS. Intricate weaves gain momentum for interior fabrics in all fiber compositions, mimicking intrecciato-like textures or inspired by baskets and rough canvas cloth.
NOVEL JACQUARD. Brocade, damask and conventional jacquards take on new identities. Technological achievements and eclectic yarn fusions make fabrics with tactile and visual interest via granular effects, matt-shine and ombré color gradations.
DIMENSIONAL WEAVE. Great craftsmanship excels in curtain and furnishing textiles with 3D effects. Embossing remains a staple technique, enriching velvets. While exaggerated fil coupé enhances decorative, sheer curtains. Influences of allover embroidery add dimensionality.
PROPOSTE PATTERNS & PRINTS
1- Floral, 2- Organic, 3- Rational, 4- Striped
FLORAL. A plethora of flower motifs blossoms across curtain and upholstery textiles. Flock or digital printed, via fil coupé or jacquard weave, the new florals evolve with stylized design and outsized pattern scales. The illusion of depth is exploited.
ORGANIC. The expressiveness of organic textures inspires naturally occurring designs. Mineral stones in raw state, wood barks, unpolished shells are key pattern sources, translated in dimensional fabrics with granular to 3D surfaces.
RATIONAL. Abstract, geometric designs in allover placements are on-trend.
Circles, honeycombs, zigzags, modified squares in mid to large-scale patterns delight velvets to curtain nets and contemporary jacquards.
STRIPED. Stripes revive in a panoply of styles, from colorful bayadère to bi-toned minimalist. Updated versions come with ombré effects and stripe interplays with discontinued pattern.
